Alphabet Soup for the Psychic Soul
by Storm Music
Summary: There's a new psycho killer in Santa Barbara, and, like usual, he wants to play with Shawn. But what does the new psychic in town, Sam Miller, have to do with both the killer's and Shawn's past? ON HOLD
1. Chapter A

Alphabet Soup for the Psychic Soul

By Storm Music

Disclaimer: I obviously own nothing. If I did, it wouldn't have taken over 5 seasons for Shawn and Juliet to get together :)

Author's Note: I discovered Psych recently and since then haven't been able to get enough. I don't usually write characters like Shawn, and this is my first adventure into the land of Psych, so constructive criticism is VERY welcome :) This idea burrowed into my imagination and held it hostage until I agreed to write this. Hopefully you enjoy it!

Author's Note 2: Also, I wrote this between 3 and 4 in the morning, but I couldn't wait to post it, so sorry for the rough edges :)

Chapter A

Karen wasn't sure when life in Santa Barbara started to mean waiting around for the next crazy serial killer to roll into town, but she didn't have time to think about that particular problem at the moment. As she looked down at the note she had received this morning, she let out a deep sigh. She had hoped they would be done with riddles and games after the whole Yin and Yang fiasco, but if this note was anything to go by, the Santa Barbara Police Department just wasn't that lucky.

The Chief sat down at her desk, intently studying the paper as she waited for her top detectives, including psychic detectives, to walk into her office. The words were pieced together, alphabet cereal glued to the paper. No traces of fingerprints or anything else helpful were found on the paper, but she wasn't surprised. She hadn't been all that hopeful to begin with. This case was beginning to feel more and more like Yin and his riddles, and she didn't like it one bit.

At the sound of her door opening, Karen glanced up, expecting Lassiter and O'Hara as it was hoping too much that Shawn and Gus would actually get here when she asked them to, but instead she was surprised to find a teenage girl standing in front of her desk. She appeared very professional, and was holding a manila folder in her hands. She had dirty blonde hair that was pulled back into a neat ponytail and her green eyes looked older than they should.

"Excuse me," The Chief stated, setting the note face down on her desk and leaning forwards. "Who are you and what are you doing in my office?"

The girl visibly winced. Karen thought her tone could have been a little less harsh, but she had no times for games and was not accustomed to strangers just waltzing into her office.

"I'm sorry, Chief Vick. You must not have been informed that I was coming." The girl, though obviously nervous, managed to speak calmly. "I recently moved here from the east coast, and I was looking to procure a consulting position with this police department. My former Chief was supposed to fax over my information, but I guess it must have slipped his mind."

"I'm sorry," The Chief stopped her, skepticism written plainly on her face. "But I really don't have time for this. You are way to young to be on the force, much less in a consulting position. Now, if you don't mind, I am expecting some detectives very soon to go over a pressing case. I trust you can show yourself out." The Chief finished her speech and went back to studying the note. After a few seconds, however, she realized the girl had not left. With impatience, she looked expectantly back up at her.

"Miss, I'm going to need you to leave now."

"I will not leave this office until you at least look at my credentials, Chief Vick." Karen was slightly taken back, she had not expected this girl to show such resolve and determination. "I can assure that while I may be young, I am one of the best detectives in the field. I have already helped solve a good number of cases, as my credentials will prove. I graduated from Yale when I was 15 and having been working in tandem with police departments on the east cost for the last year. I know that I will prove to be a valuable asset to your team here."

The girl defiantly laid the folder she had been carrying in front of the Chief, and waited for a response.

After a few seconds, the Chief slowly opened the folder and glanced at the papers inside. She could feel her surprise grow as the girl's story appeared to check out. She couldn't believe a 16-year-old girl could have solved cases such as were being described in the files.

"Ms…" The Chief glanced down at the paper in her hand. "Miller. It looks like you are telling the truth. But I must say I'm still a little shocked. Do you mind telling me exactly how you contributed to these cases?"

"Well, you see Chief Vick, I'm what some people would call psychic." Miller replied with a small smile.

Karen couldn't help herself as a huge smile broke out on her face. Now she didn't necessarily believe that her own resident psychic was really, well, psychic. But there was no doubt that Spencer solved cases others couldn't. Now that this young girl was also claiming to be psychic, and, judging by her track record, had an uncanny knack for closing cases as well, she would be lying to say that her interest wasn't peaked.

"Psychic, hmm?" She finally responded. "Well, what the hell. How about you sit in on this meeting about our latest murder. If you still want to help out after that, well, we'll see how things go on a trial basis."

Miller's eyes immediately lit up. "Thank you, Chief! I can promise you that you won't regret this." She said growing serious with her last comment.

"I wouldn't get too excited yet." The Chief responded, a mysterious twinkle in her eye. "You see, we happen to already have a psychic consultant, and between you an me, I don't think he really likes the competition."

Just as Miller opened her mouth to respond, the doors to her office opened once again. This time, however, Lassiter and O'Hara walked briskly into the room, followed closely by Shawn and Gus.

"Chief, is this something to do with last nights murder?" Lassiter asked, immediately getting down to business.

"Yes, detectives. Unfortunately, it looks like we have another possible serial killer situation. This letter was dropped off at the police station. No address. No prints." Looking to Shawn and Gus, she continued, offering the note to them.

"Mr. Spencer, considering you were heavily involved in the Yin Yang case, I will understand if you don't want to take part in this investigation, but I have a feeling we are going to need your brand of expertise on this one."

Shawn frowned as he read the note. He forced himself not to think back to Yin and his mind games, to the terror he had felt when those he was closest to were put in danger by that sick, twisted human being. But reading the note, he knew he had to be a part of this case. He couldn't explain it, but he felt like this new psychopath was playing this game for him.

"Chief, you know me, I never turn down a chance to catch a crazy homicidal maniac!" Shawn said with enthusiasm as Lassiter ripped the note out of his hands to read it for himself.

The Chief looked relieved. "Good. Now we can't afford to waste any more time. Lassiter, I want you and O'Hara to focus all your attention on catching this sick bastard. Bring Shawn and Gus up to date and report to me the minute you have any leads. This is priority, people."

"Right." Lassiter looked determined. "Spencer, Guster, stop wasting time and lets go."

"Hold up." Shawn said, his eyes finally noticing the other occupant in the Chief's office. "Who's the kid?"

The girl shifted uncomfortably as the attention of the small room was suddenly focused on her. She was saved from speaking, thankfully, as the Chief quickly stepped in.

"I nearly forgot. This is Ms. Miller. We are bringing her on this case on a trial basis as a possible future consultant."

This statement was meant by silence from everyone over the age of 30 in the room. Juliet was the first to get over her shock.

"Uh, Chief, you can't be serious. She can't even be out of high school and you want to bring her on a case? Of a possible serial murderer no less?"

"Ms. Miller comes highly recommended and has already help solve several cases back east. She assures me she is fully capable of assisting on this case." The Chief responded, not backing down.

"No disrespect, Chief, but how can this child honestly help with a professional police investigation?" Lassiter asked, he looked completely disbelieving of the girl's story.

"Ms. Miller has a unique gift." The Chief said, a slight smirk playing on her lips despite the looming situation. "She, like Mr. Spencer, is a psychic."

Shawn let out a loud snort at this admission. Gus elbowed Shawn in the ribs, trying to get his immature friend to take the situation seriously. If this girl really was psychic, Gus knew they would have to be careful so their own lie wouldn't be exposed.

"Ow, Gus!" Shawn responded indignantly. "I'm sorry Chief, but I doubt Pippy Longstocking over here can be so in tuned to the spirits at her age."

"Didn't you say that you have had your gift your entire life, Mr. Spencer?" Quipped the Chief.

"Of course I have, Chief. But I wasn't solving crimes when I was 10. That's not say that I couldn't…"

"Well that settles it then." The Chief broke in. "Mr. Spencer, Mr. Guster, I would like you two to be responsible for Ms. Miller for as long as she remains on this case."

Shawn opened his mouth to protest but the Chief cut him off.

"Enough, Mr. Spencer. Now all of you out of this office and on the case."

It took them all of a few seconds, but Lassiter was the first to charge out of the office, followed quickly by Juliet.

"Come on, Shawn. Let's go." Gus said, following the two detectives. He may share the same opinion about the girl as Shawn, but he knew there wasn't any arguing with the Chief. And right now, they had a new case to worry about, not to mention keeping their secret safe.

Shawn paused a moment longer, just staring at the girl who claimed to be a psychic. There was something about this girl that wasn't quite right to him. It wasn't that evil vibes were jumping off her or anything, but something about her raised a flag of suspicion. Maybe it was the fact that she was so young and wanted to be a part of something, see things, that must adults never want to. Maybe it was her claims of being psychic. Or maybe it was something about her eyes that bothered him. This girl couldn't be older than 18, but her eyes weren't young. It looked like this girl had seen and experienced things far beyond her years, and she hadn't come out completely whole. There was also something strangely familiar within those green eyes. He felt like he should know them. But after quickly running through his memory, he couldn't place them. He didn't like that feeling. It reminded him too much of that picture of him and Yang, the one he just couldn't remember even though he should have been able to.

Without a word, Shawn turned and followed his friend, not bothering to check if the girl was coming with him. After a moment he heard the quick step of her heels approaching behind him. She appeared beside him, her pace slowing so that she was stepping in time with him.

"Mr. Spencer, I just wanted to say…"

Shawn cut her off, not altogether kindly. "Don't call me Mr. Spencer. That's my old and cranky father over there." He gestured across the room to where is dad was seated at his desk. "I'm Shawn."

"Right, Shawn." The girl continued. "I know you think I'm not capable of helping on this case. But I intend to prove you wrong."

"Really? I can't imagine why I would even think a 10-year-old girl couldn't help on a murder case. Silly me." Shawn didn't know why he was being so rude, and he felt a little sorry as he saw the hurt look on the girl's face, but it wasn't like him to apologize.

"I'm 16, Shawn. Not 10. And I can't wait to see the look on your face when you realize that I'm a better psychic than you." Shawn was taken aback by the fire in her voice. He hadn't expected that from her early performance. The girl then picked up her pace to catch up with the others.

Once she was a few feet in front of him, however, she paused and turned to face him. Shawn came to a halt, raising a curious eyebrow.

"And the names Sam, Sam Miller." She smiled, though Shawn got the distinct feeling she wasn't laughing. "You might want to remember it."

So there it is. Please review and let me know what you think! Reviews make for a happy author! And a happy author means more chapters!


	2. Chapter B

Author's Note: Phew. It is surprisingly hard to think up a good crime for a psycho killer to commit! I guess that's a good thing ;) This is my first try at a murder investigation so let me know what you think so far. Hopefully things make a little sense and aren't too easy to figure out!

I also wanted to make a note about the time this story takes place. There will most likely be spoilers for all seasons. Shawn and Juliet are going out ( I couldn't keep those two apart!) but Lassie has not found out about them yet. I'm thinking this is several months after the season 5 finale. I might end up changing a few details about Shawn's life later on in this fic just to make sure everything works out, but I'll just have to see.

Chapter B

"Alright, listen up everybody." Lassiter raised his voice, grabbing the attention of the assembled officers. He clicked the little remote in his hand and the projector lit up, an image of the note the Chief had received early flashing on the screen.

"This letter was delivered to the police station this morning. We believe that it is from the suspect in last nights murder of Katherine Daniels." Lassiter paused, giving everyone a chance to read the rather disturbing note. He himself had seen some pretty twisted things, especially in regards to Yin and Yang, but there was something about messing with the innocence of childhood that made this case particularly disturbing. Unwillingly, he found himself reading the lines again.

_THE ITSY BITSY GIRL CLIMBED UP INTO MY ARMS_

_DOWN CAME MY KNIFE AND WASHED THE ROOM IN BLOOD_

_OUT CAME HER HEART AND I TIED UP ALL HER LIMBS_

_AND THE ITSY BITSY GIRL, SHE DIDN'T BREATHE AGAIN_

_THE KID_

_XOXO_

"Now," Lassiter started again, he couldn't let this new sicko get in his head. He was the head detective for the SBPD and he would catch this son of a bitch, preferably without the help of Spencer. "We have found no solid evidence that the killer, The Kid as he calls himself, will kill again. However, we are now on high alert. Any information regarding this case is to be reported to me or detective O'Hara immediately. I want everyone going over the evidence from last night. Two, three, four times, I don't care how many times just find us a lead, people!"

The crowd dispersed, all moving off in their separate directions, all determined to do their part in catching The Kid. Soon, there was only Lassiter, O'Hara, Shawn, Gus, and Sam gathered around Lassie's desk.

"Ok, Lassie." Shawn clapped his hands together. "Why weren't we brought onto this case last night? Does it take psychotic murderers for us to be needed around here? Cause that really hurts."

"As hard as it may be for you to grasp Spencer, you are not the only one capable of solving crimes around here."

"Really?" Shawn pretended to ponder this statement for a moment. "Nope, I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who can."

Lassiter opened his mouth to respond, but Juliet cut him off.

"Anyways," Juliet spread out the pictures taken of Katherine Daniels' murder. "Shawn, why don't you take a look at these and see if you can get any readings."

The first picture showed a woman, around her mid-thirties, her wrists and ankles wrapped in string that was attached to the ceiling fan like a puppet. A long, wooden nose had been strapped to her face and a large red smile was painted over her lips in what looked like her own blood. There was a whole in her chest were her heart should have been, and there were blood spatters around the entire room. On the walls, the floor, even dripping off her toes. The other pictures were different angles of the body and other corners of the room.

"That's horrible." Shawn heard Sam whisper under her breath. Shawn glanced at her. Her eyes were misted over and she looked sick to her stomach. However, she didn't look away, she only closed her eyes for a second or two, and when she reopened them there was no sign of fear, only determination. Shawn took note of how quickly she could hide her emotions before turning his attention back to the situation. 

"She looks like Pinocchio." Gus stated, the disgust clear in his voice.

"Did she have a daughter?" Shawn asked, his hand to his head.

"Yes. She was found in her 5-year-old daughters room." Juliet answered. Shawn looked up at her. He was worried about his girl friend. He knew the toll Yin had taken on her, and he could tell that even though she looked strong, it was all an act. Their eyes connected for a moment, a silent thought passing between them, both knowing that they would speak later when they could catch a moment alone.

"I'm getting something." Shawn stated, noticing there was no crying husband or boyfriend anywhere in the station. "She was a single mom, no boyfriend."

"That's right. Her best friend reported her missing after she never showed up to pick her daughter up from school. The daughter stayed with the friend that night, she has no other family in the area. The next day, the friend went back to Daniels' house to grab a few more of the girl's things. She didn't notice any signs of forced entry, and there was nothing out of place in the house. She called the police after she entered the girl's room. The coroner put her time of death around 6 in the evening, only a few minutes before the friend got there." Lassie explained.

"No DNA evidence or finger prints were found at the scene." Juliet continued. "It doesn't look like he tortured her much before killing her. Other than minor lacerations and bruises, there were no signs to suggest that there was much of a struggle."

"Gus, you know what this means?" Shawn asked excitedly. He linked his arm with Sam's, who looked quite surprised by the sudden action, but she appeared strangely pleased. "To the Blueberry!"

ABC

Five minutes later found Sam squished into the back seat of the Blueberry, while Shawn and Gus whispered quietly up front. Sam couldn't believe it. She had made it to Santa Barbara, she had convinced the Chief to let her help on this case, and now she was in the car with Shawn and Gus, on their way to the scene of a murder. A smile appeared on her face as she thought about her recent accomplishments. She was startled out of her thoughts, however, by a question directed at her.

"Sorry, what?" She asked, her cheeks slightly coloring with embarrassment.

"I asked if you thought my hair was awesome?" Shawn repeated, a strange look on his face.

"Sure, I guess." Sam faltered, caught unawares by the odd question. "Why?"

"Well I couldn't imagine what else you would be smiling at except my most awesome and amazing hair." He said matter-of-factly as if it was the most reasonable conclusion in the world.

Sam snorted and mumbled something under her breath.

"What was that?"

"I said I've seen better." Sam replied, her voice loud and without a hint of laughter. She had to fight to keep the smile off her face at the hurt look from Shawn and the laugh-turned-cough from Gus in the drivers seat.

"Oh really?" Shawn challenged.

"Yep."

"Okay then." Shawn shrugged and turned back around in his seat. Sam was surprised he had given up that easily, but she didn't have time to ponder his motives when Gus spoke up.

"So you're a psychic, too, huh?" He sounded genuinely interested, but Sam had been expecting this type of interrogation from these two, and was prepared.

"Of course. I'm actually surprised Shawn didn't sense me right away. That is if you are as good as you say you are." She said, a note of disbelief in her voice. Gus noticeably squirmed in his seat, but Shawn merely laughed out loud.

"Do you even know how many cases I've solved for the SBPD? I've found dinosaurs and mummies, buried treasure and a fake art thief!" He turned back around to look at her. "What kind of exciting and mysterious crimes have you solved?"

"I admit we don't find such ridiculous cases like that out on the east coast. There, we actually have to solve real crimes, unlike the little cases you have here."

"Real crimes? And what exactly about a runaway mummy is not real?"

"Are you seriously asking that question?"

Before Shawn could get in another response, Gus cut him off as he pulled the car to the curb.

"We're here!" He sounded too excited to be arriving at the scene of a grizzly murder. Sam suspected he just wanted to get Shawn away from her before he said something he would regret.

Sam smiled and crawled out of the car just as Juliet and Lassiter were pulling up behind them. The detectives got out of the car and walked over to Gus and Shawn near the front of the house. Sam raised her eyebrow as she noticed Shawn and Juliet's hands brush lightly against each other before they moved farther apart, Juliet turning her head slightly in the direction of Lassiter.

So, Shawn and Juliet were dating. And obviously, for some reason, they didn't want Lassiter to know. She wasn't quite sure what she thought about this new piece of information. She frowned to herself, replaying the memory in her mind as she hurried to catch up with the others who had already made their way into the house. Once inside, she followed the sounds of their voices up the stairs and down a hallway.

As soon as she walked into the room were their voices were coming from, all thoughts of Shawn, Juliet, and love were chased out of her mind. She thought she was prepared for this. Especially after she had seen the pictures, she thought there was no doubt that she would be able to handle the situation. She was wrong.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but even a million words couldn't truly describe the horror of the scene in front of her. Large red stains marred the white carpet. The pictures of ponies and rainbows on the wall were covered by large blood splatters. And although the woman's body was no longer there, the strings where still hanging from the fan. The little girls bed, light pink with white unicorns running across it, was neatly made with a large pile of stuffed animals on top. It reminded her of her own bedroom when she was little, except for the bloodstains. It was just wrong for a child's room to be violated this way.

She was relieved to see that she was not the only one affected by the room. Gus looked sick to his stomach and Juliet seemed like she was trying to convince her self to stay in the room. Both Lassiter and Shawn looked grim, but were surveying the scene dispassionately.

Sam remembered that she had to prove herself on this case. If she didn't, she might not be able to keep working at the police station. If that happened, she didn't know what she would do. She recognized the look on Shawn's face as he searched for something, anything, in the room that could give them a lead. She swallowed down her emotions and followed his example. It only took her a few seconds to realize that this was no ordinary criminal. Nothing appeared to be out of place, no shoe prints in the blood, nothing knocked over. Glancing back to Shawn, she knew that he to wasn't having any luck, either.

Becoming desperate, she ran her eyes back across the room, comparing it to the images of the pictures she had seen earlier. Suddenly, she stopped. Something was off, but what was it?

"So, Shawn," Juliet asked. "Are you getting anything?"

Before Shawn could answer, Sam quickly broke in.

"Someone's been in here."

Everyone looked surprised to hear her speak up. She briefly wondered if they had forgotten she was even there, but she pressed on.

"There's something here that wasn't when the pictures were taken."

"What do you mean?" Lassiter questioned.

Sam walked over towards the bed, being careful not to step on any of the red stains. "I'm not sure. Something about the bed, it's wrong."

By this point, Shawn had followed her lead and had joined her by the bed. Both psychics stared at the bed for a few seconds, their faces unreadable masks. Lassiter was just about to speak up again when both Sam and Shawn looked up at each other, a smile on their faces.

"It's the bear!" Sam exclaimed.

"There's no blood." Shawn continued.

Sam was so excited that she nearly forgot anyone else was in the room. It was such a rush to solve a mystery, even if was only a small piece to the puzzle. Better yet, she had noticed something was off before Shawn had.

"Do you two mind explaining?" Juliet asked, obviously growing more and more uncomfortable with the amount of time they were spending in the room.

Shawn raised his hand to his head as if he was getting a vision. "I can see him returning to the scene of his crime. He came back to this room… with that bear!" He pointed to a small brown teddy bear tucked into the large pile of stuffed animals on the bed.

"There's no blood on it, either!. All the animals around it have blood spattered on them but the bear doesn't have a drop." Sam broke in, rushing her words and not taking a breath, unable to let Shawn finish.

Slightly annoyed, Shawn sent Sam a look that plainly told her to let him tell the story before he quickly continued. "Lassie, check the charm on the collar."

Lassiter jumped into action, pulling gloves out of his pocket and tugging them on before picking up the bear. He flipped over a heart shaped charm attached to a collar around the toy's neck. He read aloud the words etched onto the back.

"Ring around the Fairy,

A basket full of poison,

Kill him! Kill him!

They'll all fall down!"

A beat of silence passed as they all thought about the possible meaning of the sick little poem.

"Ok, so it's based off another children's poem, right? Ring around the Rosie?" Juliet thought out loud.

"And Ring around the Rosie is about the black plague. So… it's a threat of airborne disease!" Lassiter rushed to a conclusion, it was clear he was grasping for straws.

"No, it doesn't have anything to do with the original meeting. It's the words he changed, that's what's important." Gus inserted.

"Okay," Juliet took control. "Let's start with the first line. Ring around the Fairy. Who are what is the Fairy?"

Sam looked at the strings hanging limp from the ceiling. Who ties up a woman like that, like she was in some sick kind of puppet show. Gus's words from the police station suddenly echoed in her ears and a smile split her face.

"It's Pinocchio!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"What?" Lassiter asked, annoyed. The girl may have been able to pick up on the bear, but he still didn't think she could be of any real use to this case.

"It's Pinocchio. He tied her up like a puppet, just like Pinocchio. In the movie there is a character called the Blue Fairy!"

"Well that doesn't help us at all! What does a kids movie have to do with an actual crime?" Lassiter dismissed her angrily.

"No, no." Shawn stopped him, looking thoughtfully at Sam. "I think she has it right." Shawn walked across the room and picked up a small picture frame. It held a picture of a small girl smiling at the camera as she was held by a man kissing the top of her head.

"Who is the man in this picture?" Shawn asked the two detectives.

"That's the girls father. But he doesn't have anything to do with this. We spoke to him last night. He and Katherine weren't together, and his alibi checked out." Juliet responded.

"No, Jules. What's his name?" Shawn asked with impatience.

"Jimmy Bluestem."

One second, two seconds past without anyone taking a step. Then, Lassiter swore rather explicitly as he ran out of the room, the others close on his heels.

Whipping out his phone he called the station and barked orders to dispatch.

"I need officers at 221 E Sycamore now! We've located The Kid's next target!"

ABC

End of Chapter B. Again, sorry for any mistakes. I'm just so excited about this story that I can't wait to post it! Please review!


	3. Chapter C

AN: Well…. There really isn't much of an excuse other than life got in the way and my muse scurried off. But the prospect of the new season so close has inspired me to get back to writing this. I honestly do have the whole thing planned out and I'm probably looking at 5 to 10 more chapters. It really isn't a terribly long story but that's a good thing because it's a better chance that it will actually get finished! Yayy!

And once again, as all my writing seems to take place late at night, this chapter is no exception. I do my best to read over things but I just get too excited and can't wait to post it, so my apologies for any mistakes, which I am sure there are some! Maybe after it is all finished I can go back and look it over with a more critical eye.

Enough of my rambling (it really is a terrible habit that I must try and kick), on with the story!

Chapter C

By the time they arrived at Jimmy Bluestems home, several police cruisers were already there, the officers silently approaching the house, guns out. Lassiter and O'Hara jumped out of their car and ran up to the front porch, both pulling out their firearms as Shawn, Gus, and Sam hung back at the curb, not wanting to get in the way. With a hand motion, Lassiter kicked down the door and rushed inside, O'Hara and a couple police officers following behind him. Sam waited anxiously, unsure if she was afraid that The Kid wasn't inside or if she was afraid that he was. She didn't have to wait long, however, as only a few minutes later Lassiter marched back out the door, cursing and slamming his gun back into its holster. He stormed over to his car, kicking the tire with a loud grunt of frustration.

"He's not here. No one's here." Juliet's voice called to them from the porch. She looked upset, but had much more control than her partner as she calmly walked over towards them.

When she finally reached them at the curb, she lowered her voice, glancing over towards the still fuming Lassiter. "We came and talked to him last night, to inform him of Katherine's death and to ask a few questions. He had been eating supper. That same supper is still out on the table. It looks like he must have been taken right after we left." She trailed off, obviously upset. Shawn unconsciously reached out and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Its not your fault. You had no idea he was in any danger." Shawn's voice was surprisingly comforting, the look on his face serious.

"I know." Juliet said, although she didn't look entirely convinced. "This whole case is just so… disturbing. And knowing the he was so close and we didn't know about it just makes it worse."

Watching the interaction between Shawn and Juliet, Sam felt something stir inside her. Was it jealousy? She wasn't sure, but right now she couldn't let her emotions get the better of her. She had to be strong, had to prove herself.

"Don't worry, Detective O'Hara, now you have two psychics on your side. The Kid doesn't stand a chance." Her voice sounded much more confidant that she felt. "Can we go inside and take a look?"

Juliet looked to her in surprise, having forgotten about the young girl. Numbly, she nodded and Sam walked determinedly into the house, leaving Shawn, Gus, and Juliet staring after her.

"You should go back to the station with Lassie, see if any leads have come up." Shawn told Juliet, making sure Lassiter was looking away before stealing a quick kiss. "We'll call you if we find anything."

"Okay," Juliet agreed. She took a deep breath and than gave Shawn and Gus a small smile. "You better get on in there before Sam beats you again."

"She didn't beat me! I let her get that one first!" Shawn sputtered indignantly. Juliet just laughed.

"Come on, Gus." Shawn turned to his best friend. "We can't let a little girl humiliate us!" And with that he charged towards the house, followed by an eye rolling Gus.

ABC

It was well after dark when Sam finally made it back to her small motel room. Not even bothering to change her clothes, she flopped down on the bed. She couldn't remember ever feeling this exhausted. She had been pushed both physically and emotionally and the strain of the day was taking its toll. Actually, the strain of the last year was taking its toll. She used to be a relatively carefree girl. Never really taking anything seriously and only wanting to have fun. Sure, it had only been her and her mother, and they never had a lot of extra money, but they'd had enough. More importantly, they'd been happy.

But Sam hadn't been happy for almost a year now. People kept telling her she needed to move on, that it wasn't good to dwell, but every time she closed her eyes the memories of that day played over and over. She'd hardly slept since the accident, and although make up and her acting skills went a long way to cover the signs up, it didn't truly get rid of the dark bags beneath her eyes, or the paleness of her skin, or the way her clothes practically swallowed her too skinny frame. Moving across the country with a half-baked plan hadn't helped matters either. She'd spent nearly all her savings on some nice clothes and the motel, leaving only enough for a box of pop tarts and a couple bags of ramen noodles.

Still, despite all the work it took to get here, despite the disturbing things she had seen today, she was content for the first time since the accident. Her plan had worked, and she had spent the entire day alongside Shawn Spencer. True, he didn't seem to particularly like her, but she couldn't blame him. She was his competition, after all, and had caught the first lead in the case. She recalled the slight look of awe on his face at that moment and smiled to herself. She could leave now and be happy with that one memory, that one look from Shawn. It would be safer for her to leave anyways, she had already pressed her luck, and the longer she stayed here the more likely she'd be found out. But she couldn't leave. Now that she'd spent one day with him, she wanted to spend another, and the day after that, and the day after that.

Sam sighed as she turned over onto her side, pulling the covers around her. She thought about telling Shawn who she was. She wondered what his reaction would be. Would he be happy, surprised, confused, angry? The fact was, that as much as she wanted to scream out the truth, she couldn't, not yet anyways. She barely knew Shawn, and couldn't begin to guess how he would react to the news. No, she would just have to wait and get to know Shawn, Gus, Juliet, and even Lassiter better before the truth could ever come out. And that meant she had to be as careful as possible to insure her cover stayed intact.

With the thought of seeing Shawn again tomorrow, Sam drifted off to sleep, a smile on her face. For the first time since the accident, she slept through the night without a single nightmare.

ABC

Henry Spencer was not having a good morning. He'd forgotten to set his alarm the night before and, therefore, had gotten up late. This was only the start of what promised to be a very bad day. The shower had been cold, his toast was burnt to a smoky crisp, the traffic light had turned straight to red and his coffee had spilled in his lap, and Gus's stupid blue car was parked in his usual spot.

With a scowl on his face and a large coffee stain on his pants, Henry trudged into the station, glaring at anyone who so much as smiled his way. He noticed Shawn and Gus in the Chief's office and decided he could yell at them later for taking his parking spot. He made a beeline for his desk, grumbling under his breath about his immature son and his idiotic friend before coming to an abrupt halt a foot away from his desk. Sitting on his chair was a wooden basket filled with bright, red apples.

"What the hell?" Henry murmured to himself, glancing quickly around but not seeing anything suspicious. He took a step closer and noticed there was a note attached to the handle of the basket. Squinting to make out the words, Henry took a moment to read the words scrawled messily on the paper before his eyes grew wide, and he quickly backed away. He turned on his heel and sprinted for the Chief's office, not bothering to knock before charging inside.

"Henry! What's going on?" Chief Vick asked, clearly concerned. Lassiter looked angrily in his direction, clearly annoyed at the interruption, but O'Hara, Gus, Shawn and the new girl just looked at him in surprise. Shawn looked like he was about to say something but Henry beat him to it.

"The Kid was here." His statement was meant by a beat of silence before everyone began speaking at once.

"What! When?"

"Where is the bastard?"

"How do you know?"

"Here? How'd he get inside?"

"Are you sure? You're not as sharp as you used to be?"

"Are you okay?"

The last response surprised him. It had come from the girl. He racked his brain but couldn't remember her name. He wasn't sure why a girl he didn't even know would be concerned about him, especially when his own son wasn't, but he didn't have time to dwell on it.

"He left a basket of apples on my chair along with a note."

"What did it say?" Lassiter demanded.

Henry took a breath before repeating The Kid's disturbing words.

"_Oh do you know the dead man,_

_The dead man, the dead man?_

_Oh do you know the dead man, _

_That lies by Meadow Lane?_

_Yes I know the dead man,_

_The dead man, the dead man._

_Yes I know the dead man,_

_That lies by Meadow Lane."_

"This man is sick." Came O'Hara's disgusted remark, breaking the silence that had decended on the office as they all processed this latest clue.

"Yes, he is." Chief Vick agreed, looking grim. "So we damn well better catch him." There was a murmur of understanding before she started giving out orders.

"Lassiter and O'Hara, take some men and head down to Meadow Lane. If I'm not mistaken, there is a park that runs along there. Spencer, Guster, and Miller, I want you to go over the clue, go over Henry's desk and see if you can get anything before we send it off to evidence. Lassiter, the second you find anything, you call it in. Let's go get this psycho!" Everyone leapt up to follow her orders, the station going into action.

As Henry led Shawn and Gus over to his desk, he couldn't help but notice the terrified look in the young girl's, Miller the Chief had called her, eyes. Henry had never been one for showing emotion, but something in him made him want to pull the girl into his arms. She just looked so small and vulnerable in the face of such a twisted killer. He didn't care if she had impressive credentials, no kid this young should be involved in something like this.

Feeling that he at least owed her for her early concern about his well being, he patted her awkwardly on the back. The girl looked up at him in surprised and he gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile before dropping his hand back to his side. The girl still looked startled, but the fear disappeared from her eyes and was replaced by something else. Henry had never been good at reading people, still, there was something about the girl that stuck in his head, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something.

His observations were interrupted only minutes later, however, by Chief Vick yelling from her office for Shawn, Gus, and the girl to get down to Meadow Lane. They'd found a body.

ABC

Shawn had seen a lot of crazy things during his time with the SBPD, but this had to take the prize of most unnerving. The body laying on a bed of roses tucked behind some bushes was definitely Jimmy Bluestem, but, unlike the bloody murder scene of Katherine, there wasn't a single drop of blood. Jimmy's skin was deathly white, all the blood drained out of his body and a perfect, circular hole in his chest where his heart should have been. His lips were painted a bright shade of red and a vibrant blush was brushed on his lifeless checks. His head lay on a white pillow as if he was sleeping, and his hands were crossed on top of his chest. On top of his hands sat a single red apple with a bite missing. If Katherine had been Pinocchio, than Jimmy was without a doubt Snow White.

"Shawn." Gus's voice came from over his shoulder. "I sure hope your getting something, because this guy is seriously disturbed."

"I agree, this definitely beats death by dinosaur."

"Shawn, this is serious!" Gus almost sounded appalled.

Shawn sighed. "I know." He whispered before bending down to get a closer look at the body.

He noticed Sam walk cautiously around to the other side and copy his movements. He had to admit that the girl had some serious guts, but there was still something off about her, and it put him on edge. Not to mention the fact that she actually noticed the bear yesterday before he did. He was determined not to let her get the jump on him today.

He turned his focus back to the scene before him. The Kid was obviously playing out children's stories. First, there had been Pinocchio and the clue involving the Blue Fairy which had led them to Jimmy. Now, there was a red apple, just like the poisoned apple in Snow White. Most likely it was poison that killed Jimmy, and the blood must have been drained later. Both Katherine and Jimmy had their hearts missing. This could mean any number of things, but he still didn't know enough about The Kid to narrow it down.

Shawn took a closer look at Jimmy's neck and found what he was looking for. I tiny hole left from a needle, no doubt the sight where the poison was injected. Shawn stood back up, scanning the body and the surrounding area. If The Kid had left a clue at the last scene, he most likely had left one here was well. He could see Sam had come to the same conclusion, and both supposed psychics started scouring the area. Shawn saw it first, and with a triumphant grin, dramatically held his hand to his head, eyes squeezed shut as he announced his 'vision'.

"I see him, The Kid! He's stabbed Jimmy from behind with a needle… a needle full of poison just like Snow White." He discreetly glanced around to make sure he had everyone's attention before continuing. "Check his mouth! Inside his mouth!"

Sam's eyes snapped to Jimmy's mouth and Shawn knew she saw what he had seen. There was a slight smudge of the red lipstick on his lower lip, as if someone had gently opened and the closed his mouth. Just like Snow White was awakened with a kiss, the next clue was hidden behind his death sealed lips.

An investigator immediately jumped to action, gently prying opening Jimmy's mouth and carefully pulling out a folded piece of paper wrapped in plastic. He carefully unfolded it and shakily read out the words written with glittering ink.

"_Mary had a mom and dad,_

_Mom and dad, mom and dad._

_Mary had a mom and dad _

_Their skin was white as snow._

_And ev'ry where that Mary looked,_

_Mary looked, Mary looked._

_Ev'rywhere that Mary looked_

_All she saw was blood._

_Mary followed mom and dad,_

_Mom and dad, mom and dad._

_Mary followed mom and dad,_

_All the way to the grave."_

No one said a word; they all knew what it meant. The Kid was going after the daughter. A split second after the last word was read, Lassiter, O'Hara, Shawn, Gus, and Sam followed by several police officers raced towards their cars, all praying they weren't already too late.

ABC

Hmmm, I'm really beginning to like cliff hangers! Anyways, I've promised to get out another chapter for my other fic AND finish the next chapter in my original story I'm working on so it really just depends when this will be updated. But no matter what, it will be updated!

Thanks for reading the story and bothering to read my ramblings at the end. Please review! They make any authors day and are a good source of motivation!


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